Russian forces pause Kyiv attacks during high-level American negotiations
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a three-day suspension of military strikes on Kyiv starting Saturday to accommodate visiting US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. This diplomatic push occurs exactly as the devastating war enters its fifth grinding year with heavily entrenched front lines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin will hold direct discussions with both envoys in Moscow. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev received the American delegation at a governmental airport before traveling into the city. Dmitriev maintains ongoing contact with US negotiators and frequently attends these bilateral meetings.
Trump Pushes New Peace Strategy
US President Donald Trump recently announced that Washington prepared a fresh, concrete proposal to end hostilities. Trump deployed Witkoff and Kushner overseas to evaluate the viability of this new framework, calling them highly capable negotiators.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the American team plans to visit Ukraine following their Russian meetings. Kyiv previously proposed a temporary halt to air strikes to protect the visiting diplomats. Zelenskyy promised Ukrainian forces would secure Russian airspace for the negotiators and demanded reciprocal safety guarantees from Moscow. Hostilities flared sharply right before this diplomatic freeze. Russian drone strikes recently destroyed the SBU security service headquarters in Kyiv, marking a highly prominent target strike. Overnight attacks killed four individuals in the Dnipropetrovsk region and injured several others across Mykolaiv and Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Air Force tracked 167 incoming Russian attack drones, including Shahed and Geran models, mixed with decoys and ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defences successfully neutralized 128 of these threats. Simultaneously, Russian defense officials claimed to have destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones, noting several injuries in the Belgorod border region. Moscow consistently demands that Ukraine surrender territory in four contested regions and drop all NATO membership aspirations. Negotiators hope these weekend talks can bridge the gap between these firm Russian demands and Ukrainian sovereignty.
